Fun World

As I mentioned in my last post, this past weekend my good friend Danny Clay (that picture is probably his next album cover) made his way over to Chicago to visit my summer digs. We've got some pretty similar tastes in both music and food (maybe that's why we're friends?), so it was easy to spend a weekend catering to those commonalities at some of my favorite places around the city. Good times ensued.

On Wednesday we started out the day with a trip to Michigan Avenue's original Billy Goat Tavern for a couple of double cheezborgers, then made the short jaunt over to Jazz Record Mart to survey their wares. For the evening's entertainment, we journeyed over to the Hideout for another edition of the ever-reliable Immediate Sound series. This particular night featured local free-jazz super-group The Engines, made up of trombonist Jeb Bishop (he played on Eureka), saxophonist Dave Rempis, Nate McBride on bass and Tim Daisy of drums. The group delivered two really solid sets of largely improvised music, showcasing a group dynamic that seemed at once spontaneous and oddly controlled.

Thursday evening we made our way to Pritzker Pavilion for the kick-off of the Made in Chicago jazz concert series. An augmented line-up of local post-rockers Tortoise headlined the show, debuting an original composition commissioned for the occasion with the help of several Chicago improv-scene heavyweights. Tortoise acted as little more than a backing band, giving their guests plenty of room to create as they saw fit. Without a doubt, the night's highlights were Nicole Mitchell's piercing flute solo (that one drove away a good number of people) and Fred Lomberg-Holm's distorted cello refrain. As usual, the sound in Pritzker was beautiful, conveying the full range of the on-stage assemblage. The only thing that could have made the night better would have been a little vibraphone action from McEntire and Herndon. Maybe next time?

Friday began with an early morning trip to Hot Doug's, a necessity not only because Dan needed to experience some of the best hot dogs in Chicago, but also because Doug is closing up shop for the next few weeks for some well-deserved vacation time. I also made a point of taking Dan over to the Whistler to see one of Leroy Bach's solo acoustic sets, a weekly occurrence that never fails to entertain. Later in the evening, we found ourselves at Schubas for the Reds and Blue CD release show with Hollows. I was particularly impressed with Reds and Blue, which featured Time Out Chicago Music associate editor Areif Sless-Kitain on drums (do interns have to give full disclosure? Too late). Their keyboard-driven prog-rock was a nice change of pace after a couple of days of wall-to-wall jazz.

On Saturday we found our way over to Wicker Park fest, catching sets from Gaslamp Killer, Holy Fuck and Mission of Burma. The place was packed, I don't think I've been to a street fest this summer that has had the draw that this one did. I guess they're doing something right. Burma was definitely the night's high-point, finding the group in fine form and running through a nice mix of material, both old and new (while name-dropping the nearby Myopic Books).

Yesterday we wrapped things up by catching Chicago Stone Lightning Band (featuring my TOC boss, John Dugan, on the drums) at the hokey biker/guitar bar Faith & Whiskey. The day's cuisine included stops at the Fullerton Diner (for brunch), Portillo's (for Itallian beef, naturally), Revolution Brewing (for the microbrews) and the Boiler Room (for some late night pizza, beer and Jameson).

What's next? This coming weekend is Lollapalooza, which I expect to be every bit as busy and tiring as Pitchfork was (perhaps even more so, Grant Park is so big...). Currently, I'm resting up and looking forward to catching sets from the Black Keys, the New Pornographers, the National, the Strokes and Deer Tick. If you're coming out to Chicago for the big fest, make sure you get in touch with me, it'd be nice to see some of you folks!

Do the Whirlwind

This past week started off with a one-two punch of musical goodness. First up: my second favorite artist/band Dosh played a lightly-attended free show at Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. Joining Martin Dosh on this particular occasion was his regular touring partner, Mike Lewis of Happy Apple, as well as frequent collaborators Jeremy Ylvisaker and JT Bates. The quartet turned in some beautiful renditions of tracks like "Airlift" and "Call the Kettle", all of which sounded pretty great reverberating in the pavilion's cavernous stage. I can't say it was as great of an experience as seeing him for my first time in Cleveland earlier this year, but it was certainly a treat to see him again so soon with a larger group of performers.

Later that day, it was back to Millennium for a performance by collage-rock duo The Books. It was very interesting to hear how some of the newer tracks had evolved since my last time seeing the group early last year. Judging by their sizable draw and the crowd's reaction, I really think their next record is going to find its way into the hands of a lot more people. You can read my review of the show and see a few more of my photos over on the TOC blog.

Wednesday night was almost a wash-out, with some pretty huge storms hitting the city. Luckily, things died down enough for me to make my first journey to the Hideout, one of the venues I've been itching to visit since arriving in town. While there, I took in an evening of bass duo, trio, and quartet performances featuring Devin Hoff of the Nels Cline Singers. I enjoyed it so much that I plan on coming back next Wednesday for a show featuring, among others, the illustrious Fred Lomberg-Holm. For a few more shots and details on the evening, click over here.

On Thursday I headed back to the Double Door to see Sleepy Sun and Mondo Drag. I was pleasantly surprised by the latter; I'd never heard of the group before, but their performance was the night's best. As usual, you can find more photos and thoughts right over here.

Friday found me attending the giant smorgasbord known as Taste of Chicago, where I got try my hand at both food photography and criticism (I like food too much to speak badly of it). Later that evening I took a short walk down the street to the Whistler to catch former Wilco-member Leroy Bach on solo acoustic guitar. These days he's doing finger-picked material very remincent of John Fahey and Jim O'Rourke circa Bad Timing. I got a chance to chat with him after the show, and he suggested an upcoming Cairo Gang concert that I hadn't even heard of; what a nice guy!

Last night I got the full 'press-experience' as myself and another intern were let loose on an event presented by Heineken that featured performances from Matt & Kim and Cold War Kids. It was interesting to say the least; we had to be accompanied by a Heineken rep whenever we were shooting photos and we were given time restrictions when photographing the bands. The event itself was in a refurbished warehouse, decked out with all manner of lights, screens, and projectors. I certainly felt like a real reporter (blogger?) being shuttled around from spot to spot, conducting interviews, and taking tons of pictures. It also didn't hurt that the event included free Chicago-themed food and all the Heineken you could drink. You can take a look at our coverage over here.

Right now I'm eagerly anticipating the On Fillmore's appearance with Nels Cline tomorrow at Millennium Park. Should be a great show; I'm interested to see how they incorporate Cline into the group. More dispatches from Chicagoland as time allows, thanks for reading!